1@A pendant *gatou
¢, found on semi-circular convex eave-end tiles *nokimarugawara
¬Û¢, used on temples from around 600-1300. The patterns include: a combination
of single petals *soben
rengemon fÙ@Ø¶; a single petal with leaf sprouts added *tanben
rengemon PÙ@Ø¶; double petals *fukuben
rengemon ¡Ù@Ø¶Gor a double layered petal *juuben
rengemon dÙ@Ø¶. Although the lotus motif can be found after 1300,
it was being widely replaced by other motifs by the beginning of the 11c.
The lotus petal motif is generally associated with temple roof tiles. However,
some scholars think eave-end tiles with this motif began to be used for
the roofs of palaces and other government buildings by the end of the 7c.This is corroborated by the tiles unearthed at the site of the palace
in the Fujiwara ¡´ capital, in Nara. After the capital was moved
to Heijou ½é, Nara, nearly 150 variations of the lotus petal motif developed.
There are a number of accompanying motifs including: seed pod *chuubou
[, with a varying number of seeds; saw-tooth patterns *kyoshimon
¶, and bead patterns *shumon
ì¶. These patterns have been discovered on the circular pendants attached
to some nokimarugawara.

2@Lotus petals which are used as decorative motifs in Buddhist imagery.
They are used on *kouhai
õw (mandalas or halos), but most often they appear in *rengeza
@ØÀ, the lotus pedestal upon which a Buddhist image may sit or stand. Although
lotus petals are found in various places on rengeza, such as in the *kaeribana
½Ô (downturned lotus petals) and the *keban
ØÕ (flower platter) both in the middle part of the base, the term renben usually refers to the individual petals in the upper register of the base. Renben
may be inserted into the *renniku
@÷ (lotus center) or into the *fukijiku
², a dish-shaped piece of wood with holes placed just below the renniku. The fukijiku was used in the Nara and early Heian periods, but
after the mid-Heian period, it was usually omitted and lotus petals were
inserted directly into the renniku.
The two main methods of attaching
lotus petals to the base are called sashiren }@ and fukiren @.
The sashiren technique inserts petals into holes cut into the renniku
or fukijiku using metal tenons called *ashihozo
«Ù¼. An example is found in the base of the 9c Nyoirin Kannonzou @ÓÖÏ¹
at Kanshinji ÏS in Osaka. The fukiren (also called uchiren Å@) technique
used nails or drove the petals directly into the renniku. This technique
was often used in the late Heian and Kamakura periods. In the bases of
the late Heian period, examples of *Amida ¢íÉ from Houkaiji @E, Joururiji òÚ,
Houkongouin @à@, all in Kyoto, the lotus petals were were attached to the renniku
using nails or pegs. Visually, these lotus bases seem more open than the earlier
bases, such as the pedestal of the Amida Nyoraizou ¢íÉ@ (1053) in the Byoudouin *Hououdou ½@P° in Kyoto. In the kiritsukerenben Øt@Ù style, the lotus petals were carved directly into the surface
of the renniku. This technique is used in the 9c image of the *Yakushi òt
from Shoujiji  in Kyoto.
There are two types of arrangements for the lotus
petals of standard and complex rengeza. *Gyorinbuki
Ø, in which rows of petals alternate like fish-scales, was widely used in the
Nara period and later in the Kamakura period. A well-known example
is found in the 8c Juuichimen Kannonzou \êÊÏ¹
at Shourinji ¹Ñ in Nara. *Fukiyoseshiki
ñ®, in which the petals are arranged in rows evenly on top of one another, was
popular in the late Heian period. The bases of the Amida at Houkaiji
and the Byoudouin have such arrangements. At some point, the arrangement of the
Byoudouin petals was changed to gyorinbuki, but during 1954-5 repairs were
carried out and the original arrangement of fukiyoseshiki was restored.
In the Kamakura period, the gyorinbuki arrangement again became popular.
The Mirokubutsuou íèÓ§ (ca. 1212) by Unkei ^c in Koufukuji Hokuendou »k~°, Nara, is one well-known example.
There are several types of lotus petal.
A plain lotus petal called soben fÙ was often used in the Asuka period. The tanshiben PqÙ (also simply tanben PÙ) is a
petal on which a leaf bud shiyou qt is rendered and is often used for
small gilt bronze images dating from the Nara period. Fukuben
¡Ù is a petal with two leaf buds. Confusingly, the same term tanben is
used to refer to a single lotus petal and double lotus petals where two petals
are set together. The kurumigatarenben Ó`@Ù is a petal in the
shape of a walnut usually with two leaf buds carved into it. An example is found
in the sculptures of the so-called *Roku Kannon ZÏ¹ at Houryuuji @²,
dating from the 8c. In the Kamakura period (12-3c) lotus petals had ridges and
this is considered to be an influence from the Chinese Song style. The Yakushi sanzonzou òtO¸ from Kakuonji o (14-5c) in Kanagawa prefecture is
a well-known example.

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